Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) in a report released on Thursday morning. The firm issued a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Separately, Barclays lifted their price objective on Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th.

Vector Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE VGR opened at $14.99 on Thursday. Vector Group has a 52 week low of $9.27 and a 52 week high of $15.53. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $14.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.21. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.04.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. Vector Group had a net margin of 14.05% and a negative return on equity of 26.96%. The firm had revenue of $371.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.90 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Vector Group will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Vector Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.97%.

Institutional Trading of Vector Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VGR. Algert Global LLC increased its position in shares of Vector Group by 72.9% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 691,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,304,000 after buying an additional 291,404 shares in the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in Vector Group during the fourth quarter worth $949,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC grew its position in shares of Vector Group by 78.6% in the second quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 666,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,046,000 after purchasing an additional 293,338 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Vector Group in the second quarter valued at about $693,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vector Group during the first quarter worth about $900,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

Vector Group Company Profile

Vector Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States. It operates in two segments, Tobacco and Real Estate. The company produces cigarettes under the Montego, EAGLE 20’s, Pyramid, Grand Prix, Liggett Select, Eve, and USA brand names, as well as various partner and private label brands.